Uncharacteristically rude service with cashiers who ignore you, fail to greet you, and then proceed to start negative passive aggressive conversations with other cashiers about other customers. They don't even offer to bag your items and seemed to consider it troublesome. Definitely not a first time experience either. Store clerks frequently block isles and fail to move out of the way. Overall one of the worst Trader Joe's locations I've been to. Other locations have clerks greet at the door and are overall helpful and friendly. Will definitely share an update in our Facebook group! Also this location never seems to have any ACV. read more

I like this Trader Joe's. It's small, but packs a punch. Limited parking, but I always seem to find a spot. A nice selection of flowers, beer and wine. They do seem to always be out of a lot of the produce options, but a nice array of meats and cheeses and frozen goods. What really sets this TJ's apart from the local competition is the staff. Always happy, smiling and willing to go the extra mile to be helpful makes it more of a pleasure than a pain. A great spot to pick up items and replenish the stock, maybe not the best when you're looking for a heavy produce/stock up on supplies trip. read more

Found what appears to be an earwig in a bag of kale from this store. Luckily found it before there was some accidental extra protein in my salad! It was in a sealed plastic bag. Not sure how that happens.... read more

Trader Joe's - Earwig in kale - Grocery Near Me - Oakland, California

Love this trader joes. All of the staff are friendly and incredibly helpful. Prices are great and the organization makes it easy to find everything read more

This Trader Joe's is on the Site of a former Lucky/Alberson's. When I manage to patronize this TJ's, I'm usually on foot as the car is parked at Rockridge BART or this is a brief respite along the Pittsburg/Baypoint Line. I also like that there's a Pharmaca that shares the same parking lot. This Trader Joe's has wide aisles, friendly folks and a neat Rockridge meets Cal Berkeley vibe. And even when there's a lot of people here, the maneuvering and check-out process seems almost pleasant. The selection (at least what I'm looking for) is "same as it ever was" and the only challenge left is figuring out the familiar, yet different layout of the store. read more

Trader Joe's parking lot. is small. so is the store. wouldn't come here during peak hours (evenings), lunch time was fine. sampled uncured organic hot dog in bun(4.99) -sweet taste with some nice spices -good taste without condiments eats:snack-O's onion rings(1.99) -yep. habit forming, tasty without the usual msg, salt. -must be the "sweet onion seasoning". notes: -aisles narrow -friendly associates here. -small store, less chip brands to choose from -many cashiers open during nonrush hours, almost no wait paying. 3.5 stars, read more

Nancy S. I love your store (Oakland, College Ave). Almost all my shopping is done there. You have things no one else has. I especially love your big Argentine shrimp, and the Alaskan Wild Sockeye Salmon, your new chocolate peanut cups and Espresso Beans, your wonderful cheese choices, all reasonably priced. I could go on. But I have been disappointed lately in some things that have been discontinued. The main one at issue is Valrhona chocolate (71% my favorite), by far the best chocolate you had, much smoother and creamier than the alternative. No one has anything to match it. I simply can't believe you did that! But, even through this challenging delivery time, you have done a fantastic job. Your staff always friendly and helpful. Delighted that you're offering more and more organic fruits and vegetables. Thank you! (And please bring back that chocolate!!!) read more

I used to shop here almost daily, until I moved closer to Berkeley Bowl. I came here tonight because it was after 8:00 p.m., I had just finished a 8 mile trail run, and I realized I had no food at home. I'm pleased to see they have extended their hours, opening at 8:00 a.m. and closing at 10:00 p.m. When I used to live by TJ's, they opened at 9:00 a.m. (which was too late if I wanted to grab something on the way into work) and closed at 9:00 p.m. (which was too late to grab food on the way home when I used to work out at at the Oakland Club One and usually was done around 9:30 p.m.) I still have one enduring question: Why don't they EVER have ripe avocados? I really never understood it. Their avocados are not cheaper than other stores. But you cannot ever find one you could eat the same day. One of the great mysteries of [my] life. I also don't really eat frozen food anymore since I decided to forego owning a microwave and only prepare fresh food. They have an ABUNDANCE of great frozen food (if you are into that kind of thing). So one of the biggest things I don't like about TJ's is the lack of a seafood/meat counter. Things that I like to buy here: Wine (good selection of cheap wine) Bags of washed lettuce Bananas- 19 cents! And usually perfectly ripe Vodka :-) Laundry detergent & TP Chocolate Cut up vegies Cooked chicken strips (great for salads) Flower bouquets (when I don't have time to go to Moe's) Things I don't like to buy here: Avocados (LOL) Beer (they don't have the best selection, as I prefer microbrews) Soup (I generally have never been a fan of their boxed soups) So yes, I still think TJ's is a great store with a solid place in this universe. But only for certain things. Give me Berkeley Bowl's humongous produce section and seafood/meat counter any day! :) read more

My favorite trader joes location! Alameda one is waaayyyy too crowded. The lines extend all the way to the food aisles...that is no way to shop! I find that they also carry less of a selection for certain items. E.g. no organic arugula, but will have regular arugula. The Lake Merritt location I do prefer over the Alameda one, but only if I'm around the area. It's actually the closet one to where I live, but I prefer the one in Rockridge. This location also gets very busy and has thee WORSE parking lots ever. This one gets a little busy during after work hours since it's right off the BART station, but lines are never outrageously long. Staff are friendly here and will go out of their way to help you find stuff. The other day I had to buy dip for "dip Tuesday" at work. I wanted to being TJ's 5 layer dip. I couldn't find it, so this employee helped me check the back. She tried really hard, but no luck. They either sold out, discontinued it, or worse maybe recalled? Idk. read more

Trader Joe's - They have the best flower selection in Oakland. - Grocery Near Me - Oakland, California

The service at this particular Trader Joe's is truly great. Everyone, including all the cashier clerks are very personable and kind. The staff here are geared to make your visit comfortable, and that you find exactly what you're looking for. Usually, I've got to search up and down the aisle for assistance, but at this Trader Joe's, they're easy to see, because they all wear the same uniform, representing their trademark, and are in abundance! The prices are more than reasonable, and at the end, I find my receipt totals are very low in amount spent. Sometimes, I feel like I've got to take a double take, because I'm so used to the usual 'HOLY SHIT' Whole Foods receipts! :P I love the packaged veggies, where you just do a little snip snip, to cut a small vent, and nuke in the handy dandy microwave, when I'm in a super duper hurry. I know I know, the microwave is the enemy, but sometimes I've got to hurry, and these packages are a nice, fast convenience. They've got a great selection of cheeses, and also, I love the snap pea snacks, that are actually a Trader Joe's package. In the past, I'd always purchase their lemon curd, which is out of this world delicious! It's great on anything you wish to turn into a sweet yum yum! Always in their usual makeshift kitchen, there's a friendly staff member cooking something up for samples! Today was penne with tomato sauce. My mum was so hungry, that she bought a package of this sample. She swears she's going to cook it one day. We'll just see about that! :P read more

Trader Joe's - Yum! - Grocery Near Me - Oakland, California

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Clean, fresh fruits and vegetables...tons of good stuff!! I love their spinach salad. Staff is always very nice and friendly. I have to say that I always get funny looks each and every single time I go here, this is usually by some of the customers. I don't think too many Mexican people go here to shop or something because the looks I often get are like...what are YOU doing here? which absolutely has no reflection on the store itself so I am giving it 5 starts!! Fellow Trader Joe customers, yes we, Mexicans, love to shop at Trader Joe's too :) read more

Oh, praise the lord for bequeathing my neighborhood with a TJ's! No more dreaded round-about driving in the parking lot in Emeryville to get my "only at TJ's" items! Not only did they send me a card letting me know what day they were opening, but they were giving out free reusable shopping bags too even though I already have about half a dozen of these bad boys (the cheap Chinese in me made me get one, I swear!). And yes, I do use all of them. But I am giving this one to my mom. No, really. Megan K's description hits it on the nose: " much like the new guy at work. He's shiny new, enthusiastic and very eager to help, but isn't quite up to speed yet." This store does have several things missing, but overall I'm still ecstatic about the fact that they are here. Although I will always be insane enough to stand in half an hour worth of checkout lines at Berkeley Bowl for my produce, Trader Joe's gets second seat for nearly everything else, hedging out Whole Foods easily. Great products, great prices. Thank you TJ! read more

This is a really nice Trader Joe's! The one I usually go to in LA is smaller & feels more cramped. This one is big, spacious, & everything is neatly organized. The produce looks fresh & it's a great place for healthier snacks. I can see parking being an issue during peak hours but we were able to find parking easily on a Sunday afternoon. I wouldn't mind coming to this Trader Joe's all the time if I lived in the area. read more

Trader Joe's - Inside - Grocery Near Me - Oakland, California

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Staff are amazingly friendly and helpful! Love the pork buns, the cheeses, lamb vindaloo, Sapporo, and so much more. I miss the "food stand" and free coffee. read more

This review is based on a single shopping experience - with many more to come. :) I came here today to support TJ's on their grand opening. (Do I get a 1st to review nod for being the 1st to review after this business actually opened??) I was here around 4 in the afternoon and it was pretty crowded. I just got a few items: iceberg lettuce for our taco's tonight, a couple of juices (I was thirsty) a bottle of TJ's vintage ale (I was thirsty!) and some trail mix for snacking. Unlike the Lakeshore location, this TJ's has a traditional cue - pick a line and wait. I coulda gone to the 12 or less aisle, but that line was hella long - I just got in the shortest line and waited. I took me several minutes to reach the head of the line, but c'mon - it's Friday and I wasn't in a hurry anyway. I just chilled in line and took in the scenery. As with other TJ's, I suspect the winning strategy here is to go early in the day and be in and out before the place fills up. Oh...and can I tell you something? I love, LOVE, LOOOOVE, Rockridge. Across the street is Zacharys, a block away is Barclays and BART is a hop, skip and a jump away - everything is so convenient around here! Just do me one favor - If you see me here on a Sunday morning, stay outta my way! read more

Trader Joe's - Grocery Near Me - Oakland, California

This is my go to grocery store in the Oakland-Berkeley area. Always well stocked, unless you have the misfortune of hitting the Sunday-Monday night crowd! read more

Trader Joe's - Grocery Near Me - Oakland, California

Nothing off about this loaction accept the narrow passage between front lot and back/side lot. The store is nice and easy to navigate- one might be able to navigate around the "middle" section of the store and never have to go in to the packaged area, because nuts, chips and other like ites face the beverage on the back left side. the middle is where TJ gets tight! read more

BYOB bring your own bag and you can win instantly! it use to be that when you brought your own bags to trader joe, you would get a raffle ticket and then turn it in. when you get picked your name gets posted up for the week and then you have to check every week if you win then claim the gift card prize. now you can win instantly! i'm not sure how it works actually but i guess if you bring your own bags now there is a chance that you automatically win... i'll try and update this when i get more information... so bring your own bag, help out the environment, and maybe just maybe you might win a little something. until next time cheers! read more

Trader Joe's - Grocery Near Me - Oakland, California

This is the best TJs in the world. I've been going here for almost 10 years and the staff always goes above and beyond. I'm also very blown away at how well they have handled the pandemic and take such great precautions to protect their staff and customers. Great job! I wish all grocery stores would model your protocols because it really makes a difference. I feel safer shopping here than anywhere else. Thank you TJs Rockridge! read more

poor cleanliness, sing toilet bathroom dirty no repeated maintenance or up kept for customers and it smelled like urine ... but they want your money and think that there deserving of paying customers but can't provide a sanitary environment. say no to inhumane business practices read more

I don't buy into the whole organic, free range, all natural, blazay blazay.... but I still like and do shop at trader joes every once in awhile. Great selection of vegetables and fruits, wines, dairy products, goodies (chocolate covered pretzels), and they even have fresh flowers delivered every day for purchase. Sometimes it is a hit or miss on freshness and price compared to other places, but for the most part it is comparable. I use to grab some of their pre cooked meals for lunch and just throw it in the microwave. All the workers have this uppity, friendly, here is my fake smile that I have to put on for you demeanor. Also, if you bring your own bags for your groceries then you are entered into a raffle for who knows what. and if this whole "health" "wholesome" food doesn't appeal to you, as sometimes I just want to pig out, head over to Zacharys next door and get a deep dish pizza... I know I did. read more

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Good store - your typical Trader Joe's, though I found shorter-than-average lines at this location. Lots of parking too - though its a bit confusing as one lot is on the side and cars often seem to get jammed up trying to navigate the various one ways in the lot (it's happened almost every time I've been there). read more

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For years I have been shopping here, lured in by the flowers they sell. I spend about $20-$40 in flowers alone every week, and more for food, wine, . About two months ago I approached the people in the customer service area because the quality has been so poor - the flowers wilt after a couple of days despite all my care. I asked if perhaps the flowers weren't being put in water fast enough, or perhaps somebody new was handling them and wasn't taking proper care. NO no no they assured me. Last month I asked again and was again told no no no. I bought flowers there last Wednesday and by Thursday morning, they were wilted and the stems, which looked fine in the store, were broken and the flowers appeared dead. I am done with buying flowers at Trader Joe's. And I'm not going to buy anything else there if I can't get flowers there. I will just go to some other store that carries flowers. The people that work here are very nice - but if the flowers are this bad, I'm not spending my money here. I came into the store yesterday 1/19/22 and they barely had any selection of flowers. read more

I love going to Trader Joe's for my groceries but I have noticed the customer service going downhill here. On my most recent trip here, after getting my items and winding up at checkout the cashier commented on my T-shirt (just a regular shirt with a pop culture reference) and then proceeded to go on a long personal tangent. I couldn't even get a syllable in, dude would cut me right off as I could breathe a sound. Kind of reminded of the feeling I had back when watching the 2020 Presidential debates as the Orange Idiot constantly talked over and interrupted Biden. The cashier didn't even ask me the basic stuff ("Did you find everything you needed?" Etc.) that's part of the job. At the end of the cashier's monologue he seemed pretty satisfied with himself and I just wanted to go. Ruined my grocery trip. Most of the cashiers have been fine, but a lot of the new and younger ones seem to lack in reading social cues or just have big egos. Won't be back here for awhile, and when/if I do I'll definitely avoid that cashier guy...young guy, slightly curly hair, tallish (5'8" ish). Dude must not have many friends if he has to resort to using customers at the checkout line to puke out a word avalanche. Berkeley Bowl and Whole Foods (Temescal) will be my regular grocery spots for the next few months. read more

Really great store with a nice open floor plan. It was quite busy but they were able to handle the volume well!

Honestly, the employee at the front of the store at 2pm on a Friday who handed me a basket and said "Hello, welcome" is a legend and deserves a raise and a paid vacation. Also I just love Trader Joe's. The parking lot here sucks but homie at the front made up for it. 5/5. read more

This Trader Joe's is located right by the Rockridge BART station, and I think it's one of my favorite Trader Joe's locations in the area. It's well-organized and the lines tend to move very quickly. This is my place to go to if I'm looking for supermarket staples like milk, grains/cereals, nuts, spices, and eggs at relatively decent prices. I tend to find the produce at all Trader Joe's to be somewhat hit or miss, but I think they do a good job with their pre-packaged items like salads, greens, and pastas. read more

Trader Joe's does not adjust prices, when they falsely advertise a different price, other business would honor prices the price that is posted. read more

After surviving the trauma of looking (in vain) for a parking spot in their insanely tiny lot, while grumbling profanities at my fellow spot-hunters, and ultimately parking 3 blocks away - which seems the inevitable option here - I was delighted to hear the B52's pulsing through the speakers when I walked in. Surely they must know that the best cure for a harried, upset customer is to blast "Love Shack." Works for me, every time. I'm going to take this opportunity to praise the culinary masterpiece that is the the Tom Yam soup, Tarte Alsace (ham & onion pizza), and Eggplant Melange...all available in the frozen aisle. Oh, and lest we forget Le Bon Bons and $3 Vino Verde. The good life doesn't cost much at TJ's. But do yourself a favor: don't come on the weekends. Come on a Tuesday mid-morning, when the aisles aren't packed with mommies and toddlers and strollers. The Trader is most lovable when you can have him all to yourself. read more

The last two times I've went into the store the checkout service was a huge thumb down to the floor!!! I am really disappointed because this store was my favorite to shop. It seems the hiring manager is giving terribly rude, not ready to take on the responsibility of service to others, immature folks a job. Rude as hell!!! I am tired of it and considering never going back. In the amount of years I've shopped TJ's anywhere state wide. I've never experienced this level of unprofessional attitudes at the check stands. I used to bag groceries and I know sometimes customers are not always right. However in this case the service was damn near stunning in a bad way! Two cashiers that I experienced need to get their act together fast! read more

Shhhh...the secret is out. This is one of the BEST Trader Joe's I've been to and I've been to at least 25 in the U.S. They have the widest aisles I've seen in a TJ's. Two shopping carts can pass by at the same time! And there is a HUGE area between the check out and the aisles. There are either more items here or because of all the space they have it is easier to see the items. But I swear there were items in all the sections that I've never seen before! It seemed to be stocked fairly well but I was just on a browsing trip killing time before going to Kaiser Oakland. I went at lunch time and there was easy parking and no crowds in the store. The staff was very pleasant and looked happy to be working there. They were nice to the customers and to each other. Boring story alert: I used to live in the Rockridge area years ago. So long ago (before it became chi chi) that people used to ask me, "Is it safe living in the Rockridge?" At that time I had a sweet tortoise shell cat named Mei Mei (Chinese for "Little sister.") She used to follow me everywhere. One day when I was shopping at the Lucky (that occupied the present TJ site) I heard customers commenting, "Oh, look there's a cute cat outside the door." And I thought to myself, "Awww, isn't that sweet? I'll have to pet that cat on the way out." Sure enough it was Mei Mei. She had followed me for 5 blocks without my knowledge! What a friend. RIP. read more

New favorites: --Chicken broth: I always have a box in my pantry --Popped potato chips: They taste just like PopChips, which I love. Light, crunchy, salty. --Yogurt covered pretzels: When you have a craving for both sweet and savory --Thai yellow curry sauce: Not completely amazing, but really helps make a meal quickly --Brioche buns: Rich, buttery, fluffy --Cubed pancetta: Add to anything for extra flavor --Cheese: So much cheaper than anywhere else --Candy cane Joe Joes: Lives up to the hype --Chicken & cheese tamales: Super cheap and yummy --Butter Chicken: Only $2.99 and really good. Perfect to bring to work for lunch. --Plain water crackers: At $0.99, cheaper than anywhere else --Honey sesame almonds: Addictive and filling. --Pumpkin bread mix: Seasonal item, perfect for cupcakes! --Dark chocolate almond chunk cookies: My favorite TJ's cookie read more

TJ butchers! Please don't sell choice cuts of the tail end piece of a tenderloin as "center cut". That's false advertisement. ~ Chef

Oh Trader Joe's'. Conveniently, located right across the Rockridge BART Station = WIN Great prices = WIN Healthy choices = WIN Friendly/helpful staff & cashiers = WIN The samples are always good :) = WIN 2-Buck Chucks = WIN! WIN! WIN! WIN! The only negative(s) I can think of is that, certain foods don't come out good as others. Like, for instance: I wasn't particularly feeling the finished product from the TJ Brand of the Choc Brownie "Truffle" mix (even tho I carefully followed the directions & added the exact amounts of dry/wet ingredients--- it came out "too sweet", for my taste). However, the TJ Brand frozen Chinese Orange chicken is pretty good! It's a hit or miss kind of thing. And, any TJ regular-- knows that. Happy shopping! read more

HOLLER for the new trader joes!!!! YAYAAYAYYAYAY! Fools like me that only go to the one in Emeryville have been waiting forever for this godsend to arrive. No when we got there last night the line was hella long.. i mean long! But being the fools that we were we just shopped and shopped and shopped untill the line got short. It was great not having the claustrophobic feeling of the E-Ville store with the selection of the El Cerrito & the E-ville stores combined. My only drawback.. them fools were out of stock on many of the vegetarian essentials. I mean damn... u have 14 different types of Hummus and yall were out of ALL of them??? shit. In the end it was a pleasurable experience. I actually had to sit back and realize that no i'm not having to maneuver around the salad as if I were 'jumpingi n' with jump rope. Yes there were still vegetables there that didn't look like some one had tossed them on the ground and farted on them. It was great I was happy I bought hella food. So now when hunger calls I'm hoping on the 24 to get my fix. U know the guys were even cool enough to escort us to our car and help us with our bags.. awesome possum my friends...awesome possum read more

I love organic food and friendly service, so I've been shopping at Whole Foods for years, ignoring my $1800/month budget and giant rent and therapy bills. In walks Trader Joe's, and I am in love. Friendly, down-to-earth, plenty of organics, easy to shop, cheap cheap cheap. Trader Joe's, you are my hero. PS I heard it gets crazy - as love sometimes does - on the weekends. My shopping time is midmorning on weekdays and I have the place to myself. . . maybe I'll see you there! read more

Yes. This was, by far, the most important piece of information I gathered this evening during a friendly exchange with an Emeryville Trader Joes' checker. It's the third most important piece of information I gathered over the entire course of the day. I'm still working on the week and YTD ranking of this piece of information. I'll revisit this post with the remaining stats as soon as they emerge. Hooray for Albertsons going bye-bye in two very prime spots. Parking will be ample here. A good back-up on weekend mornings when parking is at full capacity at my choice Lakeshore location (scheduled to open in fall of this year). The full Trader Joes review here: http://www.yelp.com/user_details_reviews_self?userid=hlnDbX8BN-mKFS6WAgOAQw&review_filter=location&location_filter_city=Emeryville&location_filter_state=CA&review_sort=time read more

5 Stars for most of the employees - they are usually super nice and try to be helpful! 1 Star for some of the self entitled ass-monkeys who frequent the store. Seriously - driving through the parking lot like your hair is on fire against the flow (and arrows) of traffic is so not-cool. 2 Stars for the fresh food. I have finally learned - do NOT attempt to purchase fresh anything at TJs. It simply is NOT fresh. I thought I would save myself a little time and not have to run to WF or across to MH for an onion and a little bunch of asparagus. What was I thinking?!? I cut into the onion and it was black inside. wow. just...disgusting!! So I threw that out. Then I opened up the aspargus and the inner spears were sprouting fuzz. WTH? I looked at the date - packed 3 weeks ago...WTH?! I just bought it and silly me - it looked fresh...I should have read the "packed on date". I also SHOULD run it back to the store and demand a refund. But alas - it would cost me more in gas and time than a stupid rotten onion and fuzzy asparagus is worth. NEVER buy anything that you want fresh at TJs. Stick to the wines, bottled waters, canned and frozen foods. Those are all worth the time and effort required to play parking lot whack-a-mole in order to park. read more

I love TJ'S....I really do. Just don't go on a Sunday evening. If you do....maybe you can cram all of your items in a hand basket and go thru the express line, it moves pretty fast. Parking is horrible, but thats the norm in this neighborhood! read more

I love this TJ's! Every time I've come in here, I've been able to get what I needed quickly and the folks at the checkout have always had a warm and friendly atti And even though I can walk here from my new place, I've noticed that the parking lot is never full. Now that's saying something for a TJ's! read more